Getting Ahead: Just do it

When I was a child my grandmother, who was a school teacher, bought me a book titled: “The Little Engine That Could.”

Many of you know the story, but for those of you that don’t, it was a book written about a little train engine that had a big hill to climb. The little engine, looking at the task ahead, was not sure that he could get to the top of that steep incline. Going up the hill he started to loose speed and momentum. It became harder and harder until he was tempted to give up. He was repeating, “I think I can, I think I can,” working harder and harder while losing more speed and momentum.

He made it half way, then three quarters of the way. About the time he had lost so much momentum that he was almost to a standstill, he got a vision of the top and changed his tune. He started to say, “I know I can, I know I can.”

Even though his speed was almost non-existent and his momentum all but gone, his belief that he could climb that steep hill took him over the top. My grandmother read that book over and over to me and as a small boy it was a great time on grandma’s lap listening to her reading me a story while I looked at the pictures.

Nike coined a phrase, “Just Do It.” Could it be that the troubles and trials in our life, that have become mountains, can be overcome by our belief and confession of victory in those situations and circumstances? Could we, “Just Do It?”

Two thousand years ago there was a very special Jewish carpenter that told his friends to speak to the mountains of trouble and adversity in their lives and they would have the ability to remove them. Do you think that will still work today? Would it be possible to not only climb over the mountains in our life, like the little train did, but to completely remove them?

These and other life questions will be addressed Sunday morning as “The Gathering Place Family” meets in the Washington High School Gymnasium at 10 a.m. for our Pre-Service Connection where we enjoy coffee, juice and donuts. Our Worship Service and Children’s Church then begins at 10:30. Come at 7 p.m. and be part of our Wednesday night Bible Study and Children’s Ministry on the third floor above Trends at 120 West Court St. in Washington C.H.